OTTAWA — Hats and bags were in high demand among government bureaucrats, as federal departments spent nearly $1 million on just those two pieces of highly-priced tat.

In government documents uncovered via an enormous 900-page response to an order paper question filed by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, Canada’s bureaucracy spent over $13 million on branded merchandise since 2022 — consisting of all manner of promotional tchotchkes, including socks, pricey Yeti and Stanley tumblers, air fresheners and pens.

“It’s like the government had a contest to see which department could come up with the dumbest way to spend taxpayers’ money and they all won,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, who uncovered the documents.

“This is what happens wh

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